There’s an interesting feature just published by the Guardian about the C&A by-election just a fortnight ago which makes the interesting point that HS2 is being used by the Tories to explain the shock result rather that was the big issue with many former Tory voters there, the PM Boris Johnson.

The article by Peter Walker goes on:

Rather than being a one-off upset, Green and other Lib Dems argue that their campaigning uncovered widespread dissatisfaction with the Conservatives and Boris Johnson..A series of activists told the Guardian that while many Conservative voters mentioned the HS2 rail project – which will pass through the area – and changes to planning rules, these were largely symptoms of a government with little interest in such “blue wall” commuter-belt areas. Perhaps most worrying for Johnson is the idea, which Lib Dem canvassers say they heard regularly, that many more traditional, one nation Conservatives now view the prime minister in a dim light, and that allegations about cronyism and favours for contacts amid the pandemic appear to be cutting through.

This very much supports the most recent favourability ratings in the latest YouGov survey which find BoJo in negative territory in the south as well as in London. In the Midlands, though he is still rated positively.

Mike Smithson

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